Cloud seeding operations are being performed continuously across the country in a bid to replenish reservoirs, particularly in the northeastern and central regions.

Mr Lersak Rewtarkulpaiboon, Director-General of the Department of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation, reported progress of the department’s rainmaking mission, saying cloud seeding flights have already been conducted nationwide. He said an emphasis has been placed on the Northeast, where the drought situation is critical. The flights recently made in the region have successfully produced rainfall, replenishing Ubonrat Dam in Khon Kaen and Lam Takhong Dam in Nakhon Ratchasima.

Mr Lersak also indicated satisfactory results from the operations around Pa Sak Jolasid Dam in the Central Plains and in other areas in the western zone, including Prachuap Khiri Khan province.

In cooperation with the Royal Irrigation Department, the Director-General affirmed that the Department of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation will continue to monitor the water situation closely and make sure that water management throughout the dry season will go according to plans.

Residents of Muang district are struggling to maintain their daily existence after their neighbourhoods were badly affected by slow to completely cut tap water supplies over the past week.

Officials at the Provincial Waterworks Authority’s Ban None Mai Daeng station in Chalerm Phrakiat district said on Sunday the station was facing a severe shortage with only 300,000 cubic metres of raw supplies available for tap production which will last less than a month.

About 27,000 families in 18 sub-districts covering Chalerm Phrakiat and parts of the nearby Muang district have been told to brace for worsening water problems.

In Muan Wai sub-district of Muang district, many villages have been hit by sporadic supplies of low volume tap water since early this week while some are facing a complete water stoppage. The situation is forcing people to travel to Nakhon Ratchasima municipal office to fill up their water containers to try to get by.

A villager gets a bucket water from a well in a ruined village which has been underwater after the Mae Chang reservoir dried up in Lampang province March 12. The ruined village including ancient temple had been underwater for 34 years since the Mae Chang reservoir was built in 1982, the area has now re-emerged after water in the reservoir dried up caused by the severe drought. (EPA photo)

China will release water from a dam in its southwestern province of Yunnan to help alleviate a drought in parts of Southeast Asia, including Thailand, China's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

The water will be released until April 10 from the Jinghong dam, ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a daily news briefing.

Water used at Khon Kaen University will be treated and cleaned and redistributed to nearby village communities for agricultural use, to help alleviate the worsening impact of the drought.

University rector Kittichai Triratanasirichai, said five communities would benefit. The actual release of treated water, in cooperation with the irrigation office in Khon Kaen, will start by the end of March.

The treated water will be examined for quality, to ensure it is fit for farmland use with dissolved oxygen of at least 20 milligrammes per litre, but it will not meet standards for human consumption, he said.

The aim was to distribute 500 to 1,000 cubic metres of water to the villagers for farm use each day.

In this March 12 photo, heavy machinery is used to repair the energy dissipation area of the Chao Phraya dam in Chai Nat. Low water levels caused by the drought have allowed repairs to take place in the normally submerged area. (Photo by Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)

More than half of Thailand is gripped by water shortages from the drought, according to the Department of Water Resources, but the irrigation chief remains positive that supplies can last until the rainy season if everyone steps up conservation efforts.

Supoj Tovichakchaikul, director-general of the Department of Water Resources, said on Wednesday 43 provinces across the country were being hit by water scarcity. They include:

Bangkok people assured of adequate tap water for household consumption throughout summer

The Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (MWA) yesterday ensured that there is enough raw water to produce tap water for household consumption and drinking throughout the dry season.

Assurance from MWA, the vital tap water producer for Bangkok, came after it was invited by the Department of Internal Trade (DIT) to discuss whether the current severe drought situation could affects its tap water production.

Also invited to the meeting is the Provincial Waterwork Authority (PWA), major tap water producer of tap water to distribute to people in the provinces.

At the meeting the MWA has affirmed that there is adequate amount of water to produce drinking and tap water throughout the drought season for the capital and its peripheral areas.

The MWA has pointed out that it has lowered tap water production by 10 per cent to reserve extra water, while also lowering the water pressure during the night to prevent further loss of unused water.

Meanwhile the PWA said it has been coordinating with the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) to better manage the water situation, where both agencies have held weekly meetings to closely follow up on the situation and work out plans to control the water quality to prevent impacts on local hospitals and factories.

The Department of Internal Trade (DIT) has assured that there will be enough water for public consumption during this year’s dry season, which is expected to be longer than usual.

As the dry season is forecast to linger until July, DIT Director-General Wiboonlasana Ruamraksa has confirmed that the current water reserves will be enough for public demand. She said all 18 branches of the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (MWA) in charge of Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan will set up water distribution points to serve residents. The MWA will also coordinate with the Royal Irrigation Department in regulating the release of water in the Chao Phraya River in accordance with the situation.

Meanwhile, the Provincial Waterworks Authority, which supervises 230 branches and 358 service units nationwide, has been building a reserve of raw water for tap water production. However, in drought-affected areas, the water pressure is reduced during the nighttime to conserve water in natural sources.

Meetings will be held with the Royal Irrigation Department on a weekly basis in an effort to constantly keep an eye on the water situation. If necessary, the department may consider diverting water from areas unaffected by the drought to other areas in trouble.

Mekong river is rising in Chiang Rai province after China released water from dams

Residents living on the bank of Mekong river in Chiang Saen district of Chiang Rai have been warned to exercise caution as the level of the river may suddenly rise up after China reportedly released about 2,000 cubic metre of water/second from Jinhong dam starting March 15 and will last until April 10.

The Chiang Rai office of the Marine Department predicted that the level of water in the Mekong river in Chiang Saen district might go up 3-5 metres but it would not spill over the river bank.

Mr Niwat Roikaew, a leader of the Mekong-Lanna conservation group, however dismissed as propaganda China’s claim that the decision to release water downstream was intended to ease drought problem in downstream countries.

Cautious resource management needed in the next few months to prevent greater damage

OVER THE NEXT four and a half months, Thailand will have to be extra careful with water management to prevent drought from causing far-reaching damage.

Some key dams in the country have already stopped releasing water for irrigating farmland. Their dwindling supplies are rationed for human consumption and preserving the ecological balance.

However, in some areas, the situation is getting so serious that agencies are having a tough time securing water even to keep faucets running.

More than 700 villages in the northeastern province of Si Sa Ket are struggling with a shortage of water for consumption.

"We have to send water trucks to affected villages including to temples and schools," Santawat Riewluang, chief of the provincial disaster prevention and mitigation office, said yesterday.

Dr Kitti Paopiamsap, president of the Chachoengsao Provincial Administrative Organisation, said the crisis in the eastern province is the worst in 20 years.

"We now have to prepare water for people's consumption," he said.

A dozen water trucks were requisitioned to carry 12,000 litres of water each to seriously hit areas, he said.

Suthep Noipairoj, director general of the Irrigation Department, has urged all sectors to save water so that limited supplies can sustain the country until the end of July.

The rainy season usually comes in May, but it is expected to arrive late this year.

Authorities need to ensure water availability until at least early August in case there is more delay.

To ease the water shortage in provinces such as Khon Kaen, Chon Buri and Suphan Buri, the Irrigation Department is preparing to tap the "dead storage" of some dams - the water left at the bottom of reservoirs for infrastructure safety purposes, which is normally not utilised.

Part of the volume of dead storage water in the Ubolrat, Bang Phra and Kra Siao dams will be pumped out to provide water for people in drought-hit areas.

The Provincial Waterworks Authority recently revealed that 12 of its water stations have run into shortages of raw water and 49 others face a risk of shortages.

Some areas in Nakhon Sawan, Khon Kaen and Nakhon Ratchasima get tap water only during certain periods of the day or week.

In many other areas, the agency is distributing only small quantities of tap water to limit water usage.

Local waterworks agencies are also trying to find alternative fresh sources of raw water.

Thailand will have sufficient water for consumption until rainy season

The Royal Irrigation Department has expressed confidence that all areas across the country will have sufficient water for consumption until July this year.

The department's director, Thongpleo Kongchan said this year's drought situation was severe, affecting water volumes of major dams in the country. The director however confirmed there would not be a shortage of water for consumption until July.

The department's plans to manage the water in 10 major dams have been revised after their water volumes decreased to critical levels. The Ubonrat dam is the most critical with only 1% of usable water.

Meanwhile, Director-General of the Meteorological Department Songkran Akson said this year's rainy season in Thailand would start mid May and would be fully established in July.

An aerial view of Chai Nat’s Chao Phraya dam. Supplies are measured at 5.96 metres above sea level during the latest check on Thursday, meaning usable water is expected to last for only the next three months. (Photo by Chudate Seehawong).

Water supplies in the four main dams of the Chao Phraya River basin continue to decrease, irrigation officials say, forcing authorities to dramatically lower mains pressure to popular tourist areas over Songkran.

Khon Kaen's Ubonratana dam, meanwhile, has sufficient supplies to last for just 11 days.

Dam director Worawit Raweenipapong said Thursday the water level of the reservoir had dropped to below critical point. It has just 16 million cubic metres of usable water, or 1% of capacity, which will feed taps only until April 4.

He said about 500 million cu/m of water had been held in reserve to be used in case of an emergency before the rainy season arrives.

About 2.8 million rai of rice, other cash crops and fruit orchards in and outside irrigation areas have been damaged by drought affecting some 272,000 farming households, according to the Office of Agricultural Economics.

Latest survey conducted by the Office of Agricultural Economics shows that out of 2.8 million rai of farmland ravaged by drought, there are two million rai of rice farmland, about 860,000 rai of other cash crops and about 5,000 rai of fruit orchards. Total damage was estimated at 15.5 billion baht which was broken down into 8.5 billion baht for rice, 6.8 billion baht for other cash crops and the rest for fruit orchards.

Northern provinces account for most damage estimated at 6.9 billion baht or 45 percent of the total damage followed by the northeastern region’s 6.2 billion baht in damage or 40 percent of total damage.

A sugar cane worker poses while working in a field at tambon Pakchong in Ratchaburi province March 22. (Reuters photo)

Prasert Jitkham stoops down and pulls a yellowed sugar cane shoot from baked soil. The worst drought in more than 20 years `has killed the plant he should harvest next year.

The El Nino weather phenomenon has played havoc with crops across Southeast Asia and beyond. Thailand, the world's second-largest sugar exporter, will ship 20% less of the sweetener to international markets this year than last, and farmers fear the damage already inflicted on young cane plants could make next year worse.

A drop in exports from Thailand and India has contributed to forecasts for a widening global supply deficit this year, fuelling a rally in international prices to a 17-month peak last week and helping sugar outperform a commodity complex struggling with the slump in global oil prices.

"It's dead," Mr Prasert said, pulling the dusty shoot apart. "Worms have eaten up all its roots. They're all starting to die. This is the worst I've seen it since I started growing sugar cane in 1979."

International prices may have rallied but farmers are reaping no benefits. Mr Prasert and other sugar farmers in this central province say they have lost 20%-30% of their output this year due to the drought.

Dry conditions make cane less sweet, so mills need more to produce the same amount of sugar. That means they pay farmers less per tonne.

As the drought takes its toll on the young cane, farmers, sugar mills and the government have soured on their outlook for next year's crop.

"Farmers can't grow cane," said Boonthin Kotsiri, production director at the Office of Cane and Sugar Board. "There's no water."

Some farmers have turned to cultivating tapioca, he added, because it needs less water and generates similar income.

Sugar cane output is expected to fall below 95 million tonnes both this year and next, he said. That was down from 105.95 million tonnes in 2014-15.

Khon Kaen province started pumping "dead storage" water from Ubolratana dam on Friday as Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park in Phitsanulok province closed its bungalows to visitors, because of the severity of the drought.

Khon Kaen irrigation authorities on Friday began using the 5-million-cubic-metres of dead storage in the Ubolratana reservoir to maintain water supplies for local industries and public consumption.

The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has sent out a caravan of water tanks to drought-hit provinces in the Northeast today.

The launch of the drought-relief caravan took place at the Provincial Electricity Authority Area 3 in Nakhon Ratchasima Province. Chairman of the PEA Executive Board of Directors, Tawin Pliansri presided over the release of water trucks.

Mr. Tawin said other than the electricity supply, the PEA did attach great importance to social and environmental responsibility. The water aid program will be carried out in 15 drought-hit provinces.

The PEA has planned to install 2,000 –liter water tanks in accessible areas in the drought-hit zones to facilitate affected residents. As for today, the water aid caravan is to carry out its mission in three districts in Nakhon Ratchasima and Buriram.

I wonder if the Thai Government, in light of the current drought situation, has considered excavating earth from existing dams in areas where the dam has become dry?One D-9 Caterpillar Dozer can move approximately 400 cubic metres of earth per hour. By adding depth to existing dams, that in 1 ten hour day 4000 cubic metres of water capacity could be added to the dam or 4 million litres. Multiply the existing number of dozers and an enormous quantity of water can be added at a significantly reduced cost.Regards

Logged

Before you criticise someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticise them, you’re a mile away and have their shoes

Thailand has long served as one of the globe's main rice bowls, but chronic water shortages are pushing the country to move away from a grain that dominates its fields and has defined a way of life for generations.

Laddawan Kamsong has spent the past 40 years coaxing rice from her plot in central Thailand, but she is tired of watching her farmland squeezed dry by increasingly severe droughts.

"I plan to replace some rice paddies with limes," she told AFP after attending a government-run workshop urging farmers to diversify their crops.

Thailand is one of the world's top rice exporters.

But four consecutive years of below-average rainfall have drained water reserves and strangled production, pushing many farmers into debt.

Villagers arrive with containers to fetch water from the artesian well at Ban Nakha in tambon Tatum of Surin's Sangkha district. (Photos by Nopparat Kingkaew)

In the face of persistent heat and drought, an artesian well has become the main source of relief for a border village in Sangkha district, providing a year-round non-stop flow of natural underground water.

This artesian well is located near Ban Khana, a village on the border with Cambodia, in tambon Tatum of Sangkha district.

The ensure the best use of this natural source of water, the Tatum tambon administration organisation (TAO) has built a cement wellhead over it, with PVC pipes and taps to control the outflow.

A bowl-shape concrete and stone structure has been built around the well, with a staircase so people can easily access the water. It is free of charge to local people, who depend on it for household use.

Not only the nearby village benefits, traders from faraway villages also arrive in pickups and trucks loaded with various kinds of containers. Everyday, they can be seen waiting in a long queue for their turn to get water.

The Tatun TAO charges them 10 baht for 200 litres of water, 50 baht for 1,000 litres and 80 baht for 1,500 litres.

Chai Saenkom, 50, from nearby Kalengwek village, said he sells each 1,000 litres of water he gets from the well for 300-350 baht, depending on the travel distance. Each day, he can make four trips at most, as the water is now flowing out slowly with many people waiting for it in a long queue.

Somchai Kaewsawang, the head of Ban Khana, said villagers believe the water from the well has a beneficial mineral content.

The well is managed by a village committee. Seventy percent of the money from sale of the water is set aside as a community development fund, 20% for the people who collect the payments, and 10% for the committee.

More than half of the country outside of irrigation zones is close to a drought crisis, according to the Royal Irrigation Department.

The drought has left a water retrenchment pond depleted in Wiset Chai Chan district, Ang Thong. Farmers are counting on this week's forecast rain.

The crisis is looming large for non-irrigated areas in 152 districts of 42 provinces, Thongplew Kongchan, the department's deputy chief, conceded.

Areas outside the irrigation zones rely principally on water from natural sources, many of which are fast receding.

Speaking at a seminar on the drought organised by the Isra News Institute on Saturday, he said drought was also threatening energy security.

The Ubolratana Dam in Khon Kaen is running so low on water that it could mar its ability to generate electricity for provinces in the Northeast.

Mr Thongplew explained that if the dam continues to discharge more water, it might have to lower its power production.

However, the RID deputy chief said the government has prioritised the use of water, which is supplied first to farmlands that grow crops from the previous season.

Farmers have been asked to suspend rice planting if their land is not served by irrigated water and encouraged to switch to drought-resistant crops.

Some rice farms can survive better than others because they have underground water sources available, he said.

Mr Thongplew said the management of water for farmland had so far not encountered any major problems. There is no need to delay the first rice growing season, due to start next month, he said. He gave assurances that there is enough water for irrigation until July, which marks the onset of the rainy season.

There are 33 large-scale reservoirs and dams nationwide, and 448 medium-sized reservoirs, each capable of holding less than 100 million cubic metres of water. The rest are small-scale reservoirs mostly supervised by local administration organisations.

Water currently held in irrigated zones amounts to 22% of the country's total water supply.

In the Chao Phraya river basin, with four large dams covering 22 provinces, water in the dams this year is at about 12%, or two billion cubic metres less than last year.

Rawee Rungrueng, president of the Thai Farmers Network, said the government's policy on crop substitution during the drought has been problematic in practice because it was rushed and lacked the input of farmers.

Also, decision-making power was centralised, which slowed budget disbursements.

He said the policy should have been planned and executed well in advance.

Jakkarat Lertopas, deputy governor of the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand, said the use of water by industrial estates would not cause any disruption to supplies.

The estates were now recycling their water and exploring underground sources.

Niphon Puapongsakorn, of the Thailand Development Research Institute, urged the government to map out a long-term management plan rather than try to tackle problems every year.

Water discharge from the Sirikit dam in Uttaradit province will not be increased during Songkran holiday as the reservoir level is at its lowest since the dam began operating 40 years ago, director Suthep Lertsrimongkhon said Sunday.

Mr Suthep said the dam had 1.1 billion cubic metres of usable water, or 16% of capacity, compared with 5 billion cu/m this time last year. It was discharging 10 million cubic metres each day for consumption, tap water production, maintaining aquatic ecosystems and pushing back salt water, under the Royal Irrigation Department requirements.

With this daily discharge rate, he said the available water volume was sufficient for the next 100 days. If there was insufficient rain to refill the dam during this period the water shortage situation would escalate into a crisis.

Military officials and related government agencies have been distributing water to drought affected areas, as harsh weather conditions continue affecting the country.

Severe drought sparked wildfires on a plain in Nakhon Ratchasima's Phimai district before spreading to nearby coconut plantations, destroying more than 40 rai of farmland and about 300 coconut trees. It took firefighters about 40 minutes to extinguish the blaze.

Meanwhile in Phang Nga, the province administration and related units dispatched officials to lay pipelines connecting raw water pumping stations in Thai Mueang district to a pond in the residential area.

The move was necessary to produce fresh water after sea water mixed with the station's water sources, disrupting supplies to an area of 2,000 households.

Mobile Development Unit One-Five in Uthai Thani province dispatched officials to produce fresh water for residents in Ban Rai district.

They also deployed water trucks to distribute water supplies to local residents affected by the ongoing drought.

The section of the Chi River sits dry near a tap water plant in Muang district of Chaiyaphum province on Wednesday. (Photo by Makhawan Wannakul)

People in parts of Chaiyaphum have no water to celebrate the Songkran water festival.

Winai Saengsupawat, chief of the Chaiyaphum provincial waterworks authority, announced Wednesday morning that due to drought, tap water would be weak or not flow at all in the Muang and Ban Khwao districts of this northeastern province from April 13-17, the Songkran holidays.

Once-floating restaurants near the Ubolratana Dam in Khon Kaen province put up makeshift walkways to continue serving customers on March 26 after the water level in the reservoir fell to less than 1%. (Photo by Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)

Water levels at major dams continue to fall, with one major Khon Kaen dam now at a 23-year low, but authorities say successful rainmaking has helped improve conditions.

The Ubolratana Dam in the northeastern province is running dry with no storage water left, forcing authorities to draw 20 million of the 500 million cubic metres of thicker bottom water to date, according to Royol Jitdon, director of the Hydro and Agro Informatics Institute.

"Bottom water is generally kept to stabilise a dam but at the Ubolratana Dam there is no choice. We estimate 180 million cu m of the bottom water there will be drawn until July, the start of the rainy season," he said.

In 1993, authorities had to use 200 million of bottom water from the reservoir, he added.

The reservoirs at the four major dams on the Chao Phraya River have a combined 2.09 billion cu m at present. From Nov 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016, 3.5 billion cu m will have to be released for consumption and ecological balance. To date, 2.8 billion cu m have been discharged.

More than 1 billion liters of water distributed to drought stricken zones

More than 1billion liters of water have been distributed to local residents nationwide as drought crisis continues to ravage many parts of the country.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said during the National Water Resources Committee meeting that the dry season arrived sooner this year. He urged everyone to conserve water until the situation improves.

The Prime Minister, however, expects the country to have more water next year. A total of 27 provinces have already been declared drought stricken zones.

It is said that the extent of damage caused by water shortages this year is less than that in 2014 and 2015. Around 59 million liters of water have been delivered to sustain home consumption in drought hit provinces by the military units and approximately 1.4 billion liters more by the government.

By the end of September, Thailand will see as many as 9,000 ground water wells constructed to ensure sufficient water supplies throughout the summer.

It's a good news now when the Meteorological Department says the current drought that has plagued many parts of the country and put it as the worst in 20 years will be over mid next month as the seasonal monsoon rains will start to come.

The good news was revealed by the department’s deputy director-general Mr Songkran Aksorn at the meeting of a committee responsible for solving the drought crisis.

The meeting was presided over by the Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Gen Chatchai Sarikalya.

Mr Songkran said that rains will start to come to relieve the crisis from the middle of next month onwards in the Central Region and in the Northeast.

Then in July, rain will begin in the North and scatter all over the country.

More rain is forecast this year and two more tropical storms are expected to bring humidity to the country from August to September, he assured the meeting.

But at the meeting, the Irrigation Department reported that the water situation in the Central Plain along the Chao Phraya river remains concern.

It said only 1.35 billion cubic meters of water are left usable for irrigation areas.

Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha said today the government has formulated a 15-year drought prevention plan with a focus on providing ample drinking water.

In his national televised speech on “Returning Happiness to the People”, the prime minister highlighted the government’s anti-drought measures to be implemented over a span of 15 years.

These measures include 12 water management related activities to be launched in different phases of the plan such as a groundwater project, a water resources development campaign, irrigation systems in rural areas, and reservoir construction.

The plan seeks to tackle drought in a sustainable manner while making sure that there is a sufficient amount of water for consumption along the way.

Meteorologists warn of higher temperatures; air too arid and will stop formation of rain bearing cloudsTHAILAND will continue to suffer scorching temperatures this month and the rainy season may be further delayed due to the lack of moisture in the air, meteorologists have warned.

Wattana Kanbua, senior meteorologist and Marine Meteorological Centre director, revealed yesterday that Thailand may start getting some rain from May 14 onwards, as the moisture-bearing southwestern wind from the Indian Ocean will blow into Thailand. However, due to the hot weather in most parts of the country, it may not rain as expected.

"Judging from the weather-pattern stimulator, we can see that Thailand will get more rain after mid-May, but I'm concerned that the weather in Thailand will still be too hot and dry for clouds to form and create rain," Wattana said.

"The situation will be like last year when the winds came on time, but the weather was too hot and arid for rain to form. That is why we need more trees to trap the moisture and keep the weather cool," he said.

As it was still unclear when the rainy season will come, many areas in the country are suffering badly from drought and hot weather.

Farmers in the Chao Phraya river basin were told to rely on rains as the source of water for the cultivation of their main crops because there is no water for farming from the four main dams.

The Royal Irrigation Department reported that there are only 8 percent of usable water left in the Sirikit, Bhumibol, Kwae Noi Bamrungdaen and Pasak Chonlasit which will be used mainly for consumption and conservation of ecology until July.

Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department anticipated that the rainy season would start in the third week of May. However, rains might stop in June until July but the Royal Irrigation Department has taken steps to try to supply water for rice farming but to a certain extent only due to water shortage in the main dams.

The Royal Irrigation Department needs to store more water in the dams to cope with the arrival of dry season at the end of the year.